


Donatello's Promise

by StarScheme



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: Intrigue, Mystery, Other, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-01-28 21:27:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21398911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarScheme/pseuds/StarScheme
Summary: Donatello receives a strange gift and meets an even stranger young woman. Though she claims to have known the techy Turtle in the past, Donnie has no memory of her. What is this promise she speaks of and what will this mean for April? Will Donatello be forced to finally come to terms with his feelings? Can this new girl be trusted? They'll find out one way or another as this new girl forces things to move forward.
Relationships: Donatello (TMNT)/April O'Neil, Donatello/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 19





	1. A Strange Package

The streets of New York had been uncharacteristically quiet the past few nights. Though the Turtles had patrolled the city, there was not much for them to do. It wasn't as if they minded. All except for Raphael who was getting anxious with no one to punch.

"This is boring!" Raphael exclaimed in frustration, turning his back on his brothers to head for the lair. "I'm going home."

Leonardo nodded his head, "yeah, we should head back."

Donatello stayed still as his brothers began to turn back. He looked down at the empty streets, "uuh, you guys go ahead."

"Isn't it a little late to call April?" Leonardo asked, stopping just at the ledge of the roof.

"I-I didn't say I was calling April!" Insisted Donatello.

"Yeah, yeah, just don't be too late, or Master Splinter will worry." Leonardo demanded before he jumped from the roof to follow his brothers home.

Once the others were gone, Donatello pulled out his t-phone and did just as he insisted he wasn't going to. He dialed Aprils number and sat down on the edge of the rooftop nervously. With things so quiet, April hadn't been around much and there were few excuses to call her out, but perhaps tonight he could be brave.

The phone rang for a while and when there was no answer, his shoulders slumped in disappointment. He hung up the phone and held it in his lap, watching the streets below. He sighed heavily and gathered the courage to try again, but his phone rang out in a melody, startling the turtle. Donatello scrambled to answer the phone and did his best to sound relaxed since he knew who was at the other end.

"Hey...April." He answered in mock confidence.

"Donnie, what's going on?" April replied, seemingly worried to receive his call.

"Oh! Uh...well I was just wondering if you...maybe wanted to go and get something to eat? I mean, we finished patrol and uh-"

"Oh...um...I'm sorry Donnie, I'm about to see a movie with Casey right now. Maybe next time?" April replied in an apologetic tone.

Truthfully, Donatello was crushed by this. Not just because April had declined his invitation, but because she was Casey instead. Just to add insult to injury. At least she couldn't see the hurt that was so clearly plastered on his face.

"Donnie?"

Donatello gathered himself and straightened his back, hoping to play this off as best he could. "Yeah," he began awkwardly, "I-I'll catch you next time, see you April." Saying a quick goodbye, he waited for April to do the same, once she had he was able to hang up. It was better to leave the conversation quickly so that she wouldn't be able to hear his disappointment. After all, she knew him rather well by now. Once he placed his T-phone back into his belt, he stared down at the streets with a brand new feeling of dejection. He hated the uncertainty he felt when it came to April and each time he decided to give up and just walk away, she'd find a way to pull him back in. He just couldn't seem to let go completely. Everyone said he didn't have a chance with her, but he just couldn't give in.

As Donatello pondered all of this, he spotted something coming from the alleyway below. A young woman was walking on her own, clutching a large package in her arms. She didn't seem to fit in with this part of town. Her long brown hair was put up in a classy bun, done up with what looked like small diamonds. She had a black shawl over her arms and shoulders for the cold, but it may not have been enough since she was in what looked like a dark blue, form fitting evening gown. This was a pretty poor part of town, she was definitely not from around here. People around here needed to be quick at night and there was no way she could run quickly in those heels she wore. Donatello watched the girl curiously, wondering what someone like her was doing out here.

The girl actually seemed to be looking for someone or something. She was frantically looking all around the streets, but she didn't seem panicked. Perhaps she just didn't want to be followed. She held her package tight, walking slowly along the curb, looking down at the streets until she stopped at a sewer grate. Donatello raised a brow as the woman set her package down and knelt down on her hands and knees to peek into the grate. Certainly some strange behavior from such a rich looking young lady. He was even more curious when she actually grabbed the bars of the grate and pulled it up, not without difficulty, but she managed eventually. She looked around once more before she grabbed her package and dropped it down into the sewers. This was even more surprising. Once the package was dropped, she pulled the grate back into position and stood up, patting down her knees of the dirt and quickly shuffled off back through the alley she came from.

Donatello waited a moment or two, wondering if the woman was going to return. When she didn't, he jumped down onto the streets and rushed to open the sewer grate. He jumped down to inspect what the girl had dropped, a little suspicious of what it might be. The package was floating down along the sewer waters. He rushed to catch it and though the paper had mostly been soaked off by the water, what was inside seemed protected by tight plastic wrapping. It seemed to be addressed to someone, the writing a little hard to see through the cling wrap. Donatello wondered why she would dispose of a package in the sewers. Perhaps she was trying to keep it from someone?

The techy turtle decided to open it up and check the contents inside, or at least to whom it was addressed. He pulled a bit of the plastic wrap off slowly until he began to see the writing on the package.

_'For the Turtle, Donatello Hamato.'_

Donnie stared down at the writing, confused and shocked. He had never seen that girl before, but she dropped a package down here that was meant for him? He didn't waste much time after that. He quickly unraveled the wrapping, revealing a soft blue blanket that had a small tool box inside. He put the blanket on his shoulder to keep it from the water and opened the tool box to see brand new, rather expensive gear. There was also a letter inside with his name on the front. This was just getting stranger and stranger. He opened the letter, just like the label on the package, it was handwritten and looked to be delicate and graceful.

_'Dear Donatello,_

_Forgive me for being so late. I hope this gift finds you well. I took great care in its delivery to make sure the waters won't rust your new tools. I am not sure how long this will take to reach you or even if you will find it at all. It's been so long, that I don't even know if you are still in this city, but I am putting all my hopes in that fact that you are. Since I've finally returned to New York, I would like nothing more than to see you again, just as I promised. I have no idea how long it will take, but I promise that I will wait. Every night, I will wait for you in the alleyway behind the abandoned tea shop on 7th and Hawthorn. I'll be there every night in hopes that I'll see you. Until then, I can only pray this finds you well._

_Sincerely, Aria'_

The letter was addressed to him, but the contents made it sound as if they were old friends. The girl spoke as if they had known one another before. What was this promise she spoke of? She was apologizing for being late? Late for what? He didn't know know anyone named Aria. Still, she said she would be waiting for him every night in the same place. Though it could have been a trap. He stood in the sewers, ankle deep in the waters as he stared at the letter inside of the tool box. This had all been meant for him, but he wasn't sure if he could trust it or not.

**A/N: Hello! Hope you all like it so far. Most of the stories that I write are not very light hearted, but this one will be. At least, I am planning on it. The next chapter will be out soon. Hope to see there! Leave your comments and thoughts cause I'm always happy to hear from you. :)**


	2. A New, Old Friend?

It had been a few days since Donatello received the letter. He hadn't shared the information with his brothers yet, but as a way to confirm the letter, he had been sneaking out each night to see if the girl kept true to her word. Sure enough, for the past few nights, he would stake out the alleyway and each night, the girl would be there waiting. She wasn't always dressed nice, but for the most part, it seemed as though she just came from a fancy party of some kind.

He watched her cautiously, trying to determine if this could be a trap for him somehow, but so far all he observed was a young girl waiting in the cold. The techy turtle was starting to feel a little guilty for that. After all, she was waiting for him. Each night she would show up and wait for hours, looking around anxiously in hopes to see him. Finally, after watching her for a while, Donatello determined nothing was to be gained from it. He'd meet her and perhaps he'd get answers then.

Tonight, Donatello stood at the rooftop above the alleyway in which she promised to wait, determined to meet with her this time. Still, he found he was actually a little nervous. This girl may have made a mistake. What if he was not what she expected? It was no secret that he wasn't the best when it came to girls, even if this wasn't a date or anything, it felt quite similar. He felt a little sick now.

As the turtle grappled with his nerves, he heard footsteps in the distance. Heels clicked against the pavement, the sound echoing in the streets while the woman approached the alley. She wore a fancy black trench coat, her hair curled and done up in a ponytail. Once again, it appeared as though she had come from an event of some some kind. Clearly, this girl had money. Like the nights before, Donatello observed her walk slowly to the end of the alley and stood by the wall to wait.

Donnie waited a few minutes and gathered his courage, taking a deep breath before he decided to finally take a leap and meet this girl. He jumped down onto the street and peeked into the alley cautiously. Aria took notice of the sudden movement, but seemed unable to clearly make out what it was.

"Hello?" She called out softly.

Donnie exhaled quietly and stepped out into view, holding his breath a little while he looked at the young girl. He could finally see her face. The girl had bright emerald eyes that seemed to shine when she caught sight of Donatello and freckles laced her nose. She was quite lovely actually. It didn't help his nerves. A girl like this was waiting for him out here in the cold? He opened his mouth to speak, but before he was able to speak, the young woman had dashed forward and wrapped her arms around him, almost knocking the shocked turtle backward.

"Gah-" exclaimed Donatello as he placed a hand on her back, trying to steady himself to make sure they didn't fall.

"You came!" Aria began happily, pulling back so that she could see his face. "I'm so happy!"

Donatello blushed furiously when he looked down at the girls face. She seemed so happy to see him and it wasn't as if he was used to girls just throwing themselves at him like this. "U-uh yeah, I did...heh..." He stammered a bit, placing his hands on her shoulders to gently push her from him. "...I uh-I got your letter."

Though Aria was slightly disappointed that he had pushed her away, she didn't seemed deterred. She smiled once again, beaming happily at the techy turtle. "I was so worried you had left the city or something. I'm so relieved that my gift reached you. Did you like it?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing away awkwardly, "I-I did. Thank you. I uh...I appreciate the gift and all...but um..." His voice trailed off a bit, unsure how to tell this girl that he didn't know who she was. She looked so happy that it made him feel like a jerk for not knowing.

As Donatello contemplated how to break it to her, Aria was busy digging into her pocket. She pulled out a small braclet with a tiny diamond star charm. "Look, I brought it with me." Aria exclaimed as she held it out for Donnie to see. He glanced down at the braclet with a blank stare, unsure exactly what significance it had for him. The way he looked at the braclet seemed to register with Aria. Her smile faded and her hands dropped slightly as she looked down at her feet. "You...you don't remember?" She asked quietly, clearly crestfallen over this discovery.

The turtle panicked now, her mood changed so rapidly that he wasn't sure what to do. April didn't shift that fast. "U-uh! I'm...a little fuzzy on a few things." He answered, trying his best to ease her mood somewhat.

"If you remembered...you would have..." Aria trailed off and a silence formed between them until she shook her head and looked back up at the turtle. "It's okay that you don't remember right now. At least you're here."

"But...when did we meet? I mean, I don't know what I did to deserve a gift or..."

Aria placed the braclet back in her pocket and shook her head again, "I'm gonna keep that a secret," she replied with a smile. "...I believe that you'll remember me. ...in time. I'm just so grateful you're here. ...perhaps...we could get reaqauinted? I came back to the city in order to see you after all."

Donatello smiled a little. She was clearly upset, but she was also trying. He should do the same. "Well...I guess there's no harm in that." He agreed.

Aria's eyes lit up at once and though it looked as if she wanted to hug him again, she held herself back and simply extended her hand, "My name is Aria Dawn."

The turtle felt much more at ease now, though still slightly concerned. He reached out and shook her hand. "I'm Donatello Hamato."

Aria pulled her hand from his slowly, never taking her eyes from his. "This may be a lot to ask, but could we meet again? I mean...not in an alleyway, but perhaps somewhere we can talk a little more? Is there an easier way to contact you?"

"Oh uh, I have a phone..." Started Donatello.

"Wonderful! Here, Lets exchange numbers." Aria insisted, getting into her purse and pulling out her own cellphone.

Since he didn't see the harm in that, he took out his T-phone and the two exchanged numbers. He was actually glad he did so after seeing Aria's face. After she entered his number into her phone, she looked so pleased, hugging her phone to her chest a bit.

"Um...so...you're not upset with me?" He asked, placing his phone back into his belt.

Aria looked up at him in silence for a moment, as if wondering what to say. "...I probably just expected too much, but that doesn't matter. I'm confident that it will come back to you. ...besides...you came to see me...and that means the world to me right now."

Donatello blushed and averted his eyes from her face awkwardly. "I was curious. So-heh, you know..."

"Now that I'm back in the city, we can see one another a lot more. I'd love to have you over sometime." Aria said happily.

"Have me over? Well I-"

"Oh don't worry! I mean, of course we will have to get reaqauinted first. ...well...I should head back for now. ...if I'm gone too long...well it wouldn't be good."

"Oh! Um...d-do you need help getting home?" Donatello asked, not entirely sure what to do. Dealing with girls was not his strong suit and this girl seemed to be very fond of him. It threw him off a little, making him more nervous than he should have been. After all, April was the girl he loved.

Aria beamed at the turtle happily when he offered such a thing, but she shook her head. "No thank you, but it was very sweet of you to ask. ...but...would it be okay if I asked a small favor of you?"

"Like what?" Donatello asked.

Aria's cheeks tinted a light pink just before she leaned up on her toes and pressed her lips to Donatello's cheek. Her kiss lingered there for a moment of two before she pulled back and quickly lowered her head to hide her face. "If you'll just...forgive me for that..." She said quietly, dashing off and heading out to the street. "I'll speak with you soon, Donatello! I promise!"

Donatello was completely shocked still, staring wide eyed at nothing as he heard the click of Aria's heels fading away while she ran. He certainly hadn't expected anything like that. He shook his head to try and gather himself. This girl...she was certainly something he was not expecting at all. This was the first time a human girl had been so affectionate with him on their first meeting. Was it actually possible that a human girl would be so fond of him? After all...even April seemed to prefer human males. Donatello took a deep breath and smiled a little. At the very least, he had made a new friend, right?

Aria had run off down the block until she approached a black car, not breaking her stride as she opened the door to get in the back seat.

"Were you able to meet your friend, young miss?" The driver asked causally.

"...I did..." Aria began, pulling out the star charm braclet once more and gazing down at the piece of jewelry in her hand. "After all this time...I can finally fulfill my promise."

"That's wonderful, Miss. Now let's get you home. You must attend to-"

"I know what I have to do," interrupted Aria quietly, "...don't worry. I haven't forgotten. For now though...I just want to focus on Donatello. He needs to remember his promise...he just has too...before it's too late..."

The driver said nothing more. He only nodded his head and started the car, pulling away from the curb to drive Aria back home. As she was driven along the street, Aria leaned her head against the window and sighed. "He just has to remember me..." She whispered to herself, clutching the braclet gently in her hand. "He just has to..."


	3. Into the Sewers

Since exchanging numbers with Aria a few days ago, Donatello was being spammed by an abundance of messages. This girl seemed rather keen on keeping in touch and mind describing every moment of her day to the techy Turtle. There was always a 'Good morning,' to wake him up and a 'Goodnight' before she went to sleep. Donatello was having a little trouble keeping up with her to be honest and he found this situation annoyingly reminiscent of his encounter with Bigfoot. Though Aria was not physically there, he had to put his phone on silent so it wouldn't constantly get in the way of patrol or general daily life. It wasn't as if she were being pushy, she just seemed bored. Still, it was a bit exhausting and hard to keep up with her. Perhaps it was his fault. Whenever Aria would bring up the subject of seeing him again, the turtle dodged the question and perhaps it made her feel a bit dejected. He just wasn't sure how to handle this yet.

After meeting with Aria, he had searched his brain for any memory of her, but came up empty every time. When could they have met? She looked like a girl who came from money, so when would their paths have crossed? He was raised in the sewer after all and it took Splinter 15 years to allow them up to the surface. There was one thing however, that seemed to strike a chord. The star charm bracelet that she pulled out to show him; it seemed familiar. He couldn't place it, but something about it felt nostalgic in a way. Perhaps it was just that he was thinking about it too much, but if they did have a connection, that bracelet might have had something to do with it.

Back in the lair, it wasn't just Donatello who found this all curious. His brothers and April could tell that something was going on with him. At first, the turtles assumed he was texting April, but when she denied it, they were back to square one.

"I say we take the phone…" whispered Raphael as he and the others huddled together to make their plans while Donnie worked in his lab.

"Isn't that going a little far," asked April, "we should just ask him who he's talking to."

"That's no fun at all," interjected Raphael, "we take the phone."

As the others whispered in their huddle, they didn't notice Donatello coming up behind them.

"What are you guys doing," asked Donatello as he loomed over the huddle with a suspicious gaze.

The huddled group jumped back with a start and quickly went on the defensive, "NOTHING," they all shouted at once.

Donatello sighed in exhaustion. "You guys are terrible liars."

His Brothers and April exchanged looks, seemingly working out what to say. However, before any of them could explain, an alarm went off in Donatello's lab. The techy Turtle had set up sensors down in the sewers that would sound whenever someone or something might wander a little too close to home. Wasting no time, they rushed for his monitors and once Donatello turned on the screen, they were all shocked to see a rather finely dressed young woman. Her hair was tied back in a braid and the purple sundress she wore was tied in a knot just above her ankles. No doubt to keep the sewer water from staining it in any way. Although her shoes looked expensive and she didn't seem terribly worried about them getting dirty. She held a rather large picnic basket in her arms, struggling to keep it from getting too low, afraid it might dip into the water.

While the others puzzled over what such a girl was doing down in the sewers, Donatello immediately recognized the girl as Aria. The Turtle panicked and quickly stepped back from the group, turned his back to them, and pulled out his phone. He had set it to silent and by doing so, it appeared that he missed a slew of messages from Aria that day.

**10:22am  
"Hey! What are you up to? My schedule suddenly opened up." **

**10:40am  
"I thought I would try my hand at cooking up a lunch for us!" **

**11:56am  
"I think I made a pretty decent meal. It would be perfect for a little picnic." **

**12:08pm  
"Oh, but you can't come up here for a picnic, can you? That's too bad. ** **" **

**12:10pm  
"I know! I'll come down into the sewers to see you! I'm sure you know a little place that we could enjoy the food. "**

**12:30pm  
"Which Manhole cover would be closest to you? I feel like I might get lost down there."**

**12:35pm  
"Oh! Nvm, I'll just use the one I pushed the gifts down into. Lol"**

As Donatello scrolled through all the unread messages, his internal panic began to show on his face. He turned back to his brothers and stared at the monitors with them. He watched with the others as Aria tried to navigate the sewers and seemed to be doing her best not to gag at the smell of it. Clearly, the girl was not used to such aromas.

"What do we do?" Mikey asked Leonardo, turning to his older brother for an answer.

However, before Leonardo could say a word, Donatello sighed heavily and cleared his throat. "I-I know her. ...Let me go and um…talk to her."

His brothers all turned to stare at Donatello in surprise before playful smirks laced their lips.  
"You _know _her?" they asked in unison, leaning in around their brother in curiosity.

Donatello blushed hard and his gaze found April, who didn't seem to be as curious as his brothers. She simply stood by the monitors, staring at the turtles in surprise. A part of him was worried about her hearing all this, but there was a bigger part that hoped she might be a little jealous. Still, he was too embarrassed to try and make this work for him.

"W-we've just been talking a lot. She's like—a texting buddy." Donatello stammered as he tried to explain.

"A texting buddy that also comes to visit you with a large picnic basket for a romantic lunch?" teased Raphael.

Donatello reached his limit and nervously pushed his brothers away from him.  
"J-just stay here! I'll go and talk to her!"

"Why not invite her over? We'd love to meet your new girlfriend." Leonardo added with a sly smile.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Donatello shouted as he quickly made his way from the room and towards the exit.

They waited until Donatello was out of sight and they looked at one another.  
"We're gonna follow him right?" Mikey asked seriously.

"Duh." Leo and Raph answered in unison before turning to leave. Though they turned back to address their red headed friend. "You coming?" Leonardo asked with a smile.

April stared at them for a moment. It was strange. Normally, she would be teasing Donatello with them and eager to go meet this new girl, but she felt a small pit in her stomach. She wasn't upset or anything, she was just…surprised. Yeah. That had to be it. It was just surprising that Donatello had a new friend that he didn't tell her about. After all, didn't he tell her everything?  
April took a deep breath and shook her head to bring herself back from her thoughts.  
"Y-yeah, of course!" she replied, trying to ignore the funny feeling in her gut.

In the tunnels, Donatello was rushing to go and meet with Aria. Splinter wouldn't be happy to know they were bringing more people to the lair without discussing it with him and he was not ready for Aria to meet his brothers. He wasn't embarrassed by her, but he wasn't eager for his brothers to keep teasing him about her.  
Since he saw where she came in on the monitors, it didn't take him long to find the young woman. He turned the corner to see Aria as she suddenly slipped on a bit of algae and fell on her bottom, dropping the picnic basket.

Luckily, he was fast enough to dash over and catch the basket before it fell into the sewer water.  
He sighed in relief once it was in his hands, but a blush rushed to his cheeks once he realized his position. He was standing over Aria as she sat down on the floor, holding herself up with her hands to keep from falling further. Their faces were rather close, since he had to lean over to grab the basket.

Aria stared up at Donatello with a nervous smile, a pink shade tinting her cheeks, causing her freckles to stand out even more.  
"Thank you…" she began softly, unable to tear her eyes away from his own.

Donatello flinched and fumbled backwards with a nervous smile of his own. He placed the basket down away from the water and swiftly tried to gather himself, offering Aria a hand to help her up.  
"It was nothing."

Aria stared at his hand and slowly brought her hand forward, placing it in his own and allowing him to help her steady herself.  
She made no attempt to take her hand from his and smiled up at him.  
"I wasn't sure I would see you. Since you didn't answer my texts…I started to worry that you might be sleeping or…training…"

Donatello was all too aware that they were still holding hands, but he felt it would be rude to pull his hand back. He still wasn't entirely sure how to act around girls and Aria clearly had some sort of attachment to him. Though he wasn't sure where it came from or why.  
"Oh! N-no! It's just…I can't always check my phone so…I didn't see them right away. You know…it's dangerous for you to come down here alone. You already slipped."

"I don't care about that. As long as I get to see you," Aria replied with a smile, stepping forward and closing the distance between them.

Donatellos shoulders stiffened a bit when she edged closer to him. Her emerald gaze seemed so optimistic and cheerful; he felt a strong sense of responsibility not to upset her.  
"W-well…if you want to see me…we probably shouldn't meet in the sewers. You look really out of place and doesn't the smell bother you?" He asked in concern.

Aria blushed a little further, looking a bit troubled now as she pulled her hand from his slowly.  
"Do I really?" she asked, playing with some loose strands of hair that framed her face. "I wanted to look nice when I saw you…so I…"

"You do!" Donatello added in a panic, worried that he had said something wrong.

Aria felt her heart jump in her chest and she glanced back up at Donatello, unable to hide the smile on her face. "…Really? Well a little slip was worth it then. I don't mind looking out of place as long as you think I'm cute." She admitted with a blush.

The Techy Turtle was not used to speaking with other girls. Even less so when that girl seemed so keen on pleasing him. Well, there was Bigfoot, but that was vastly different. This was a young human woman around his age, and she was admittedly quite attractive. What could he have possibly done to make her so eager to be around him? He would have remembered saving someone like her from danger and according to her texts, the girl had only just recently returned to the states after spending most of her life in England for school. Where could they have met?  
Donatello gathered his thoughts and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"Well, since you're here, I guess we can eat whatever you made. I mean, since you went to so much trouble."

"OH! Of course! I brought a blanket to sit on. So if you know a nice place to sit down…" she trailed off, rushing over to the basket to pull out the purple blanket checkered blanket.  
"I hope my coming down here wasn't a bother for you. …if it's better I don't come down here, I understand. It's just…" her voice trailed off once more, holding the blanket to her chest and wondering how to convey her thoughts. "…you could always come and see me at my home. It's very private…and you wouldn't get exposed coming to see me. There are lots of things to do and eat there. …so if you…ever wanted…"

Donatello cleared his throat and glanced away, noting that her embarrassing expressions were rather endearing.  
"W-well—we can talk about that later. You don't have to worry about being a bother or anything. We're friends after all, right?"

Aria gripped the blanket tight.  
Donatello clearly still didn't remember her, but he was willing to see her and speak with her, so she had to be patient. Though, it was difficult to hold back. Even if it didn't seem like she was, Aria was actually working hard not to smother Donatello with her affection.  
"Yes, we're friends…" she replied with a small smile.


	4. Meet the Family

April and Donatello's brothers were all bunched together, peeking out from the side of a nearby tunnel, watching in fascination as Donatello helped Aria to set up a small picnic in the sewers. Which was strange in itself. Stranger still, this girl looked even more out of place in person than she had on the monitors. Everything she was wearing looked expensive. They all stared intently at the girls face. She was beaming so happily as she unpacked the food she had prepared for Donatello. They were dumbfounded. A little hesitant to come out now. They had initially planned to show themselves, but it looked too much like a date now and they felt awkward.

April was confused as well and the strange pain in her gut began to grow. She suddenly felt a little under dressed. They were in the sewer, but that girl was dressed so nicely and her hair was done so well. April wasn't very feminine when it came to clothes and such, but that had never been an issue. However, for some reason, she felt slightly shabby in comparison.

"Do you think they're really going out?" whispered Leonardo

"No way," April answered quickly, "I mean, I doubt it."  
Even as she said it, she wondered if she were telling the truth or not. Donatello couldn't have gotten a girlfriend, could he?

They all watched closely as Aria blissfully made Donatello a plate of food. It certainly smelled good. They were not trying very hard to conceal themselves; in fact, they were each struggling to get a better look and pushing one another to be in front. April seemed to be the only one that didn't care to see it. She certainly wasn't going out of her way to fight off the others in order to look.

While his brothers all struggled to get a better look, Donatello was slowly tensing up. Aria may not have noticed them, but Donatello could see them from the corner of his eye. Kneeling down on the blanket and holding the plate that Aria had given him, he was praying she wouldn't see his nosy family behind him as they peeked out from the tunnel.

"Is something the matter?" Aria asked Donatello when she noticed he wasn't eating. Did he not like the food?

Donatello flinched a bit and quickly looked down at his food in a panic.  
"N-nothing! I was just thinking…about how good everything smelled!"

Aria blushed and another smile laced her lips. "Oh, I'm glad. I tried making everything that you liked best…and what I couldn't make…I bought," admitted Aria.

"So what did you make yourself, then?" Donatello asked curiously, trying to ignore the eyes on them. Especially the blue eyes of the redhead he had fallen in love with. A part of him worried about April seeing this and getting the wrong idea, but there was another part that wondered if maybe it would make her a little jealous.

Aria looked a little more embarrassed than before, "…to be honest, I was only able to make those little pizza bagels. I'm afraid I'm not very good at cooking just yet. I never had the time, but look, I made sure to buy some of the best chocolate cake you will ever have. I know how much you love chocolate."

Donatello's nerves were beginning to ease when he noticed how awkward Aria seemed to feel. Though he wondered for a moment when he had ever mentioned that he liked chocolate. Did he tell her through a text?

"Would you like to try some?" Aria asked, pulling out a box containing a large slice of chocolate cake. When she opened the box, the smell of chocolate reached him and Donatello smiled. He couldn't remember the last time he had chocolate that smelled so nice.

Donatello placed his plate down on the blanket, "I would, thank you," he replied. However, when he looked back up after setting down his food, Aria was holding out a small bite of the cake for him with a fork. Did she want to feed him? He didn't want to assume anything like that. He must have been mistaken.

"Say 'ahhh,'" Aria began happily.

He was not mistaken. All of the alarms in his head began to go off and he felt his cheeks burn, his body tensing up once again.  
"U—uh, a-are you sure?!" He asked, his voice pitching a bit.

Aria's smile only grew and though a blush laced her cheeks as well, she didn't pull back. Instead, she brought the tasty treat a little closer, meeting his maroon colored eyes with her emerald hues.  
Everything went completely silent and for a moment or two, Donatello was too nervous to move, but once he finally began to lean in, his brothers gasped and all fell forward from their corner.

Aria and Donatello flinched, the bit of chocolate cake falling into the girls lap when she jumped in surprise. Donatello quickly got to his feet and turned to glare at his brothers, who hadn't bothered to pick themselves up yet.

"Oh-uh…hey, Donnie," greeted Leonardo, stuck at the bottom of the pile and trying to act casual. "We just…um, stopped by…to uh…meet your new friend."

"It's your brothers?!" Aria began in a panic as she got to her feet and tried to wipe the cake off. "It-it's nice to meet you." She greeted nervously, still attempting to clean herself a bit to make a good impression. She hadn't expected to meet them all so soon, but she was happy all the same.

The turtles all pushed the others to get to their feet, though Leo tried to keep them from frightening off the girl. The turtles leader smiled at Aria and tried to ignore Donatello's disapproving gaze.  
"My name is Leonardo, this is Mikey, Raphael, and our friend April." He greeted, gesturing at them all, stopping at April as she only now began to walk over.

Aria was happy to meet his brothers, but was surprised to see a girl there. It wouldn't have been a problem, if it hadn't been for what she saw when April walked out. A glance at Donatello's face told her all she needed to know. His eyes followed April as she moved and he looked anxious, but not in the same way he did when he was with her. She didn't like it.  
Turning her attention back to Leonardo, Aria tried to remain calm. With her best smile, she addressed them again.  
"My name is Aria Dawn, it's a pleasure to meet all of you, finally."

His brothers smirked a bit, their eyes finding Donatello once again.  
"So, are you and Donnie…special friends?" Raphael asked

"Raph!" Donatello interrupted at once. "that's enough, come on Aria, I'll walk you out." He added, placing his hand on Aria's shoulder and turning her away from the others.

"Aw, don't be like that, Don. We just wanted to say hi!" Mikey tried.

April was surprisingly quiet, holding one of her arms with her hand. She was usually friendly with others, but something about Aria seemed to rub her the wrong way and she wasn't sure why. After all, they hadn't exchanged any words and she didn't know her at all. There was just…something about her that bothered April.

Though Donatello was trying to lead her out, Aria stopped on her heel and glanced back to see his brothers.  
"U-Um! This was a terrible setting for a first meeting," she began, "I would love for your whole family to come and visit me. I could introduce myself properly and I promise to provide delicious food."

"Yeah, I'll talk to them about it, come on now," Donatello said hastily, leading Aria further down the tunnel. He felt a little rude, but having April and Aria in the same room made his stomach ache. He felt guilty. After all, he could tell that Aria liked him, but he was in love with April, and he didn't want to upset anyone.

Aria allowed Donatello to lead her away, reaching a ladder at the end and stopping just short of it.  
She was quiet all the while, but something bugged her.  
"…You…never mentioned a girl named April. Or…any girls at all," Aria began.

"W-well, I was going to, but you only asked about family and April is more of a—well she's…"

"You like her." Aria finished for him, her smile faded now as she stared down at the chocolate stain on her dress.

Donatello tensed once more. She could tell already? Was he that obvious? He glanced away and wasn't sure how to respond.  
In his silence, Aria looked up at him now, a serious look in her eyes.

"Are you two…a couple?" she asked finally.

That question didn't make him nervous, it made him sad.  
"No…" he answered, clearly sullen by the fact.

Aria's face seemed to perk a bit, though she didn't care for the look on his face.  
"Then I won't give up."

Donatello flinched a bit and looked back at her with concern, "whoa, wait a sec, you could see that I like—"

"—but you're not a couple," Aria finished for him, stepping closer to him. "I wasn't planning on moving so quickly…but after seeing your face when she appeared…"

"Aria…" Donatello tried quietly.

"—but it's okay!" she insisted, determination in her eyes. "I've waited a very long time to meet you again. So I'm not about to lose you a second time. One day…I'm sure I can make you look at me the same way you look at her. I know that I can make you happy."

Donatello felt a little backed into a corner. Aria was certainly straight forward with her feelings. He was actually a little touched. He still didn't even have the courage to tell April he was in love with her, and yet, here Aria was, laying it all out face to face.  
He opened his mouth to reply, but Aria stopped him by taking his hand.

"I don't need…or want an answer right now. I don't want to pressure you. Just know…that I am here…and that I do love you. I'll do whatever it takes…to make our promise come true."

"Promise?" Donatello repeated, more curious now than embarrassed. She had mentioned a promise before, but never went into detail.

"You don't have to remember that either. Look, I'll send you an address on where to meet me. You can bring your whole family and I promise it will be secret and safe for all of you. I want to do this right."

"I still don't really know what you mean," Donatello admitted with a nervous smile, "but—um…I appreciate…your feelings." He ended finally. He couldn't think of another way to put it without hurting her.

"That will do for now," Aria said with a smile, gripping his hand a little and leaning up on her toes to kiss his cheek.

Donatello felt his cheeks burn again and he watched in mild amazement as Aria pulled back to turn towards the ladder. He was not used to this, but it felt nice. He shook himself mentally before stepping forward to help her up onto the ladder.

"I'll uh—talk to Sensei about going to meet with you…" he agreed, trying to make her see that he wasn't going to blow off.

"I look forward to it," Aria said happily as she climbed the ladder. Once she was at the top, she could see that Donatello was half covering his eyes. Most likely to keep from looking up her dress as she climbed.  
She got to the surface and stared down into the manhole.  
"I'll see you soon, Donatello." She said before the manhole cover began to recover the entrance, watching Donatello wave at her until it was completely closed.

"Did you have a good time, Miss?" A young man asked, dressed in a drivers uniform, all black and with a strange insignia on his lapel. A car was waiting next to the manhole, as if he had been waiting there the entire time.

"I'm a little late…" Aria began sadly.

"Not at all, young Miss. You're early, in fact. I didn't expect you back until—"

"Not to meet **you," **Aria snapped irately. "He has someone he likes."

The driver seemed shocked by the news and his shoulders dropped a bit. However, he still smiled and reached over to place his hand on her shoulder.  
"What will you do?"

"I'm not going to give up. I'm running out of time. …I just…got here a little late."

"Well than, we should go home and prepare. You need to recoup after all this and we'll get you washed up," he suggested calmly.

Aria nodded her head a little. "Yes. …I'll do that, but in the meantime, I want to find out everything you can about this girl, April."

"Understood," answered the driver simply as Aria turned to head for the car. He followed after her, opening the door and allowing her to slip into the back of the black vehicle.

Back in the tunnels, Donatello had returned to his brothers, only to find that they were busily chatting and eating the food that Aria had brought with her. Except for April and Leonardo, who both seemed annoyed at the other two.  
Once Leonardo spotted Donatello return, he quickly rushed over to him.  
"I tried to stop them," he said quickly.

Donatello was honestly still a little dumbfounded and found he cared very little about the food right now. However, once he saw Mikey reaching for the chocolate cake, a quick flash of Aria's embarrassed face came to mind, offering to feed him a bite. Without thinking, Donatello dashed over and snatched the cake away from Mikey.  
"You guys are unbelievable," he huffed.

"Hey! It's not like we planned on interrupting." Raphael stated evenly.

"Yeah, Mikey pushed us out." Leonardo added.

"Did not!" protested Michelangelo, "April shoved me."

"I didn't shove you! I-I tripped is all. It was an accident." April insisted awkwardly. Admittedly, when she saw Aria about to feed Donatello as if they were lovers, that terrible feeling in her gut grew larger and before she knew it, April had pushed Mikey's back to cause a distraction and stop them. Not that she was planning to admit that to the others.

Donatello held the cake box in his hands as he glanced at April.  
"Well...just…try not to scare her off," started Donatello, "she's a friend."

"Of course, a _friend_…" chimed his brothers in unison, each with a knowing smirk on their face.


	5. Just a Dream?

Lying on his side, Donatello felt weak, his breathing haggard and his whole body was warm. He had his eyes closed, feeling exhausted and unable to move.

Surely, he could fall asleep right now and everything would be okay, right? However, just as he began to drift off, he could hear someone crying. Who was crying, thought Donatello.

His eyes fluttered open with difficulty and Aria's face came into view. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she stared down at him. Why are you crying, thought Donatello, unable to summon the strength he needed to speak.

Aria's hair was pulled back and tied up, her face was dirty and the yellow dress she wore was ripped along the bottom. The girl’s knees were scraped and bloodied a bit as she kneeled beside the Turtle. Looking closer, he could see that her right leg was discolored as if infected somehow. It was wrapped up with dirty bandages and kept in a make-shift splint. Why was she kneeling next to him like that? Her leg must have hurt a great deal.

It was so dark here, but somehow, he could see her clearly. Though he wanted to tell her that everything was fine, he couldn't seem to speak.

Aria took his limp hand and held it against her cheek. He could feel her tears at his fingertips as the girl nuzzled his palm to her cold face with a trembling grip. "Pl-please don't leave me alone," sobbed Aria.

Why would I do that? Donatello thought again. It felt normal that he would just stay beside her like this. He had no desire to go anywhere else.

Suddenly, a large, dark figure loomed over them and grabbed Aria by the waist to pull her up. She cried out, still holding onto Donatello's hand, but he couldn't do the same.

"No! Please! You need to help **him**, not me! Please, please help him!" Aria screamed, struggling against her captor and doing her best to keep her grip on Donatello's hand. Finally, another figure appeared and forced their hands apart. The shadows were saying something, talking to her and to one another, but Donatello couldn't hear them properly, all he could make out were Aria's protests.

"NO! _**PLEEEASE**_! I DON'T WANT TO GO! PLEASE, HE'LL DIE! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME LEAVE HIM LIKE THIS! YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING! YOU HAVE TO HELP HIM!"

The figures were carrying Aria off as Donatello lay there helpless to stop them. His nose burned and tears filled his eyes. He couldn't do anything. His entire body was useless.

Please don't take her, Donatello wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come out. Why did this happen? Why couldn't he protect her?

As Aria was pulled further and further from view, still struggling and crying out, the Turtles eyes were starting to feel heavy once again, but he didn't want to sleep anymore. He had to get up and help her. He just wanted to get Aria back, but despite his desperation, Donatello couldn't fight it any longer. He had failed to help Aria and the last thing he wanted to tell her was how sorry he was for being so weak. It was his final thought before everything went dark.

Opening his eyes with a light gasp, Donatello stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom, lying in bed. The Turtle took a few moments to breathe and wipe the tears that slipped from his eyes as he lay there. A dream? It must have been. Though it was a rather intense one. His heart still ached as if it had just happened. Why would he dream up something like that? He sat up and shook himself mentally, looking around his room slowly to get his bearings. The dream had felt so real, he needed a minute to gather himself. It was a little early, but he didn't think he could go back to sleep after a dream like that.

With a sigh, Donatello got out of bed and was immediately faced with a picture he had hung on his wall of his family and April. Unfortunately, Casey was also in the frame, standing next to April with a smile.

Donatello always felt pride in how smart he was, but sometimes he wished that he was a little less sharp. After all, he could tell how Casey felt about April and he could also see how April was when around Casey. It was just another part of what scared him about confessing to her. The biggest part being that he was a mutant. A mutant Turtle that lived in the sewers who couldn't be seen out in public with her. What could he possibly offer her? Sure, she was friends with all of them and didn't seem to mind that they were mutants, but that fact might change if she considered actually dating one.

Did Aria consider all of this when she confessed to him last night, he wondered. Aria was a human just like April. He was still confused over why she cared for him so much and this promise she kept mentioning, but beside all that, she seemed so determined to be near him. This sweet girl was trying so hard for him. A mutant. Didn't she know that he had nothing he could give her? Aria was always dressed in expensive clothes and shoes. Besides the starry charm bracelet on her wrist, her jewelry looked pricey as well. Why would a girl like that come down to the sewers and want to be with a mutant like him? She said he had forgotten something, but what could it have possibly been in order to make a girl like that so attached to someone like him?

All of this was starting to give him a headache. Maybe he shouldn't continue to overthink it like he had been. Though it was in his nature to do so. Either way, it was a lot to consider right now and putting Aria aside, he needed to pluck up the courage to say something to April. He needed to know how she really felt and she needed to hear just how he felt about her. Perhaps that moment had finally been forced upon him.

It was still early, but Donatello decided to head for his lab. He hoped to keep his mind off of things with a project until everyone woke up. The day had only just started and he already felt like going back to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short. The nest one will be longer. Thanks for reading everyone!


	6. Suspicious Minds

That morning, Donatello had been trying to distract himself with side projects, but nothing worked. His memory plagued him with images of Aria's sobbing face. That dream felt all too real.

"I wish she would just tell me..." Donatello muttered. If Aria would just explain how they knew one another and what promise they had between them, it would make this so much easier. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember her or any chance he may have had to meet someone like her.

"Donnie!" Mikey greeted, "you gonna be in here all day?"

Donatello flinched and glanced at the clock, surprised to find that he had been in here nearly half a day without realizing.

"Oh...I lost track of time," Donatello replied. "I was just...thinking about something."

"About Aria?" Leonardo asked as he peeked into the room. "Cause we have some thoughts on that."

Donatello groaned, "not now, guys..."

"No, seriously," Leonardo continued, pulling a stack of papers from behind his back and placing them down onto Donatello's work bench. "We were curious about her and since she gave us her full name...we thought we would look her up. I figured we might find a Facebook page or maybe a blog of hers, but instead, we found ALL this."

Donatello looked down at the large stack of papers and though he couldn't deny he was curious, it felt a little invasive to learn more about her like this. "...I...wouldn't really feel right..."

"She's worth BILLIONS!" Mikey shouted, slamming his hands down on the table, alarming both of his brothers.

"Mikey!" Exclaimed Leonardo, "you don't have to say it like that."

"Wh-what?!" Donatello gasped lightly. He figured that she was well off because of how she carried herself and how she dressed, but billions?

"She's the only surviving member of the Dawn corporation," Leo began to explain. "Apparently, she's been attending school in London and just returned to the city after her parents died nearly 5 months ago. Now she's inherited their entire fortune. Also, check this out," Leonardo picked up a printed out article on Aria, showing the girls picture in black and white. "In her first interview when she came back home, she stated that she came back to the states because of someone very special to her and planned to stay here with him."

"We think she means **YOU**!" Michelangelo interrupted again. "I mean, why else would a girl like that come to the sewers?! This is so exciting! Donnie is gonna marry New York royalty! Do you think she'll buy us a skate park? Because I want a skate park!"

Donatello growled under his breath and knocked Mikey upside the head with no protest from Leonardo.

"This is why I didn't look into her on my own. I didn't want to learn this kind of stuff about her. If she didn't tell me, I'm sure she had a reason," insisted the techy turtle. "She probably doesn't like people knowing about her money since generally, people are pretty greedy."

"I wasn't interested in the money part," Leonardo added, "I was interested in this part," he finished, pointing to a few articles within the pile of papers. "A lot of reporters said the Dawn family didn't get along and that they shipped their daughter overseas because of an unconfirmed mental condition. It's said that their daughter often refused to see them the entire time she was there. Another article states that they found several sources claiming Aria had been in and out of psychiatric care since she was young. Then, she comes back after her parents get into an accident and both die. Some people are saying she wanted to be rid of them."

Donatello was silent now, taking a few of the articles to read them over. What was Leonardo trying to say? That Aria killed her parents because she was crazy and hateful? Sure, he hadn't known her that long, but she really didn't seem like the type. Yeah, she was a bit overeager at times, but not crazy. "This...is all just stuff to sell papers. Nothing in here is any proof that Aria did anything wrong. It's mostly just people speculating on their own."

"You're not concerned at all about the mental care? Shes been to almost ten psychiatrists since she was 8 or 9 years old."

Truthfully, that was a little alarming, but he didn't know the circumstances and all this snooping still felt wrong. "Guys, listen, I am just getting to know her, so I don't think—"

As Donatello spoke, he phone buzzed against his desk and with a quick glance, they could all see it was a message from Aria.

"I hope she buys me that skate park before she snaps and murders you, bro." Mikey half joked. He really wanted that skate park.

"Shut up," Donatello insisted as he read the message to himself. Apparently, Aria had kept her word about wanting a second impression with his family. Leaving an address and a hopeful message that they would join her for an outing tomorrow evening.

Donatello sighed. He had promised Aria he would speak to his Father about them visiting her. Though he felt even more uncomfortable with it knowing she had so much money. Still, he didn't want to break a promise and Aria seemed so sincere the last time she was here.

Without explaining to his brothers, Donatello made his way to Master Splinter and spoke with him about Aria. To his surprise, Splinter didn't seem upset over this girl knowing about them. Instead, he even gave them permission to visit Aria. Which Donatello couldn't help but be suspicious over. Even while he spoke to Splinter, it was as if he wasn't surprised by any of this.

Donatello wasn't eager to tell his brothers they had been invited to dinner, but she wanted to meet them properly for some reason. Reluctantly, he told his brothers about the dinner and though they all seemed excited by the idea, Donatello couldn't help feeling uneasy. Not only was he worried about his brothers embarrassing him further, he couldn't stop thinking about that dream he had.

While Donatello was taking a moment to himself, Leonardo spoke to Mikey and Raph.

"This is going to be a good chance to get intel. We need to make sure this girl isn't actually planning anything strange." Leonardo informed his brothers.

"So, just normal recon?" Asked Raphael. "What are we looking for?"

"I just want to make sure Donatello isn't getting himself into something that could get him hurt."

"Yeah, like if she's crazy enough to kill him," Mikey agreed.

After his brothers agreed on their recon mission, Donatello spent most his time that day, staring at his phone. He couldn't get the image of Aria sobbing out of his head. Why would he dream about something like that? It was such a gut wrenching feeling. It almost made him glad that he'd be seeing Aria soon. At least then he could confirm that it was all just a dream. After all, when she was around him, all she seemed to do was smile.

With a heavy sigh, the Techy Turtle decided to take a leap and text Aria back. He started to type out a long message, asking her if she was really the Aria that was in all the papers, but quickly deleted it all. Wouldn't it sound like he was snooping around about her?

"...this makes no sense..." he muttered to himself, agonizing over the deleted message. If Aria was worth so much money, why would she bother with someone like him? Why would she come down to the sewers and confess her love for a mutant?

Finally, Donatello decided to send her a text, informing her that they were given permission to see her. It didn't take long after reading it that Aria sent many happy responses.

**Really?**

**That's great! I'm so excited!**

**I can't wait to see you again!**

**I hope I don't embarrass myself in front of your family again.**

**Now I'm so nervous!**

Donatello chuckled a bit over her enthusiasm. She was so eager to make a good impression on his family. His family of mutants.

With Donatello preoccupied with his phone, he didn't hear April walking into the Lab. She had already been informed of Aria's invitation when she greeted the other turtles and honestly, it didn't sit very well with her.

"Hey, Donnie..." greeted April.

Donatello nearly dropped his phone when he heard her voice, quickly tucking it away in his belt as he turned to face her.

"A-April! I didn't hear you come in!"

"Um, the guys told me you'd all be going to some dinner tomorrow?"

Donatello seethed internally. Why were his brothers so intent on embarrassing him? "U-um...well...yeah. Aria wanted to meet everyone..."

April felt that same pit in her stomach. This girl came out of nowhere and Donatello was just going to trust her? "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean...didn't the guys tell you what we found out about her?"

"You looked her up too?" Asked Donatello, a little surprised by this. He didn't think April would be that suspicious.

"Obviously," replied April, "I mean, who knows what's shes after. We've all been tricked before by people who seemed nice. I just wanted to make sure she wasn't planning anything weird."

Donatello blushed lightly and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. At least April cares enough to worry about him. "It-it's fine. She really doesn't seem the type to trick people..."

"But we don't know for sure. I mean, why would some heiress be running around in the sewers? It's just weird." April stated, thinking back to the picnic Aria had prepared. It irked her that this girl was trying so hard to earn Donatello's favor. April was sure that she must be trying to take advantage of his kindness.

The smile fell from Donatello's face. So April was thinking the same thing? "...yeah, cause it's ridiculous that she might actually like me, isn't it?"

April flinched a bit, realizing now that her words were a bit sharp. "What? That's not what I meant. I mean-it's just a little strange that she is suddenly so infatuated, you know? She's not exactly—"

"—what?" Interrupted Donatello. Honestly, it stung that April would be the one to say this out loud. She was a human girl. He knew that his crush on her probably wouldn't amount to much, but he held onto some hope. Aria saying that she liked him, it helped that a bit, but here April was thinking it was some trick. She clearly didn't think that a human girl could sincerely be in love with a mutant. Isn't that what she was thinking? "Not exactly what?"

April felt a tad flustered now. She really didn't mean to hurt Donatello's feelings. "...I just meant...that with her money and social status...it's a little strange that she'd have ever met you...let alone-"

As April spoke, her phone went off, interrupting the conversation. When she pulled it out, the two could both see that it was Casey calling. This only served to worsen Donatello's mood. Especially when April answered. Weren't they just having a conversation? Was what Casey had to say that much more important? He was lost in thought as April spoke on the phone, not bothering to listen in on what they were saying. He always felt like he came second when it came to Casey and the only reason for it, was because Casey was a human.

"Sorry about that," said April as she hung up the phone and turned back around to face Donatello. "Casey's been down with a cold, so he's been such a baby."

"It's fine," replied Donatello curtly.

April noted the brush off, but surely Donatello couldn't have been that upset over a phone call? "...um...so anyway, back to what we were talking about. I think—"

"—you think a girl like her couldn't possibly like someone like me. A mutant," Donatello finished for her.

Though April didn't like the way he said it, she couldn't deny that it was a suspicion. "Well...it's just that it happened so quick..."

Her response only poured salt into his wound. She didn't deny it. "Yeah? Well, she doesn't seem that think that way," insisted Donatello. Even if he also felt that Aria couldn't really care for him like that, he wasn't about to admit that now. "Actually, she confessed yesterday."

"Confessed? As in..."

"Aria said she loved me," confirmed Donatello. "But how could a human possibly love a mutant, right?"

"That's not really what I mean. You know that you guys are my best friends!" April insisted finally. "I love you guys."

"But you wouldn't consider dating a mutant, would you?"

April was taken aback by the question. He'd never asked something like that before and it was a difficult question to answer. Wasn't it almost like a confession? If she said yes, would he ask her out? If she said no, how much would it hurt him? There really didn't seem to be a right answer. Especially with her complicated feelings for Casey involved. "...I..."

Donatello was crestfallen by her hesitation. Clearly, she didn't want to answer and that was all he needed for his heart to drop into his stomach. Of course she wouldn't. Why would she? What kind of future would they have? It's not like he could live on the surface openly with her. Still, it was nice to hold onto some hope. At least while he could. "...I get it."

"Donnie...I...you know that you're my..."

Donatello shook his head as his eyes began to burn, "it-it's fine, April. I have some work to do...so maybe we can talk later, okay?"

As Donatello turned his back to her, trying to hide his heartbroken expression, April took a step forward. She reached out, wanting to explain and make this better, but what could she say? It's not like she could tell him to wait for her when she wasn't sure how she felt. With Casey involved, it just got more complicated and she couldn't give either of them a definitive answer. Donnie was her friend. Her best friend. But dating a mutant? She'd never thought about something like that before.

"Yeah...we'll talk later..." she agreed finally, pulling her hand back to herself and leaving the lab. She had come to voice her suspicions about Aria, but instead just made a mess of things. Admittedly, she couldn't help blaming Aria just a little. If she hadn't come along, everything would have stayed the same. Maybe she really came into the picture just to cause trouble.


End file.
